Rumors about Nightmare Conquerors
In the Climber Communication Window and other communities, interest and rumors about the Nightmare Conqueror were always rampant.
What level he might be, what 1st Floor rewards he received, what grade of Magic Stone would appear in Nightmare Difficulty?
They say the Nightmare Clear Teams formed by various countries are consulting him, they say he's a woman, not a man, they say so-and-so from such-and-such place is the Nightmare Conqueror...
Amidst this, there were even those who analyzed every single word he wrote, trying to figure out his nationality.
While the Tower's communication window translates all languages to suit each individual, don't countries also have their unique nuances and proper nouns?
They thought that if they could find those points that couldn't be hidden by translation, they could also discover his nationality, and some even claimed to have figured it out.
All sorts of countries were suggested, but the truth was something no one knew.
Only one thing.
That he was an Unregistered Climber who didn't reveal his identity was almost a Foregone Conclusion now.
[Polaris: When do you think the Nightmare Conqueror will challenge the 2nd Floor?]
[Philip: Probably when the Deadline is almost up.]
[Pumpkin Soup: The 2nd Floor will be even more hellish. I wonder if he can succeed...]
His survival could only be confirmed by the (1) mark still displayed in the Nightmare Communication Window.
[Nightmare (2)]
[Theomax: The number changed!][Taeyang: Holy crap, it's real!][Sturgeon Roe: Wow, has the second one finally appeared?]
Then, one day, the number suddenly changed to 2.
People's attention finally turned to the second Nightmare Conqueror who had appeared.
It was exactly 92 days after the First Clear of Nightmare 1st Floor.
The second Conqueror was from the United States. Of course, the Conqueror's personal information wasn't disclosed, but the US Government didn't specifically deny the claim itself.
And as if that had opened the floodgates, subsequent Conquerors continued to appear.
[Nightmare (6)]
With one month left until the Nightmare Deadline.
There were now a staggering six Conquerors of Nightmare 1st Floor.
No, 'staggering' might not be the right word.
Considering over ten thousand people disappeared from Nightmare Difficulty in nearly a year, six was a mere handful.
They were survivors from hell who had broken through a 0.05% survival rate.
Two from the United States, one from China, one from India, and the remaining one presumably from Russia.
[Cloud: But who's gonna clear the 2nd Floor now?]
[Lagpy: Aren't they all just playing a waiting game?]
[Easy]
Personnel: 180,645
Deadline: 21 years 29 days 17 hours 54 minutes 31 seconds
Floors Reached: 23rd Floor
[Normal]
Personnel: 172,783
Deadline: 14 years 29 days 17 hours 54 minutes 31 seconds
Floors Reached: 16th Floor
[Hard]
Personnel: 166,219
Deadline: 8 years 29 days 17 hours 54 minutes 31 seconds
Floors Reached: 10th Floor
[Nightmare]
Personnel: 163,489
Deadline: 29 days 17 hours 54 minutes 31 seconds
Floors Reached: 2nd Floor
Time continued to flow.
Someone had to challenge the 2nd Floor.
* * *
Kiiiaaak-!
The charging Knight Goblin.
I dodged its mace, then punched the Knight Goblin's torso.
Thwack!
Its armor dented slightly, and it was pushed back.
The goblin, coughing as if in pain, grew more agitated and began to rampage.
Hwoong! Hwooong!
I deliberately avoided counterattacking, dodging its mace left and right.
After rampaging for a while, the Knight Goblin, exhausted before me, gasped for breath.
“Tired already?”
Now, even sparring isn't challenging anymore.
Being Level 15, I had long been able to overpower Knight Goblins even bare-handed.
Thinking it was time to finish this, I cast Flame Strike.
Two fireballs, appearing in midair, flew in different directions.
One incinerated the Knight Goblin, and the other blew up the Crossbow Goblin that was just about to emerge.
[Nightmare Difficulty 1st Floor Clear complete.]
[Moving to the Reward Room.]
When I did Repeat Clears, a Magic Stone would appear about once every ten times.
So, my Reward Room was strewn with Highest Grade Magic Stones.
They were all Magic Stones I had received as rewards so far.
After realizing they would remain there even if I didn't take them out into reality, I just left them piled up.
[Would you like to exit the Tower?]
“Exit.”
I returned to my room.
As soon as I returned, the door burst open.
“...You scared the hell out of me!”
“What are you so surprised about?”
It was my sister.
I calmed my startled heart.
“Why are you home so early? What about school?”
“Headache, left early.”
“Did you just come in without knocking? Wanna die?”
“What are you talking about? When have I ever done that?”
Should I kill her?
My sister scanned me up and down, then gave me a puzzled look.
“Why are you wearing shoes in your room? Are you crazy?” “Mind your own business. So, what is it?” “Mom said we should order lunch. I want chicken.” “...If you're thinking about stuffing your face with chicken, you're not even sick, are you? Why'd you leave school early?”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“Fine. Order it yourself and get out of my sight.”
She scowled and left.
Ugh, damn, she scared me.
That's why I could never let my guard down.
I always entered and exited the Tower either in the early hours when my family was asleep, or when they weren't home.
After all, entering the Tower from outside the house was inherently a bit unsettling. However, when I first entered, it wasn't a situation where I could be picky about such things.
The Nightmare Difficulty Deadline has fallen below 30 days. Currently, the number of Conquerors for Nightmare Difficulty 1st Floor stands at six...
I ate chicken in the living room while watching TV.
Just then, news came on that ruined my appetite.
My sister silently picked at her chicken, then quickly went back to her room.
I turned off the TV and finished my chicken.
“...I wonder who will challenge it?”
If someone challenges it, I really hope they succeed.
As the Nightmare Deadline shortened, I'd been deeply troubled lately.
In the past year, the number of Nightmare Conquerors, including me, had grown to six.
It was a good thing, but now the real problem was right around the corner.
The 2nd Floor.
What if, like the 1st Floor, no one succeeds again?
I still haven't made up my mind.
If I have to do it, when would that be?
Should I wait until everyone else has died trying, and only then enter?
The Nightmare Deadline is approaching, with only one month left.
I believe I've made my own preparations during this time.
I consistently did Repeat Clears to maintain my senses.
I also increased my skill proficiency by frequently using Flame Strike and Teleportation.
I looked up information on the 2nd Floor and devised my own customized training.
Yes, I did all that, but...
Still, entering a new floor was frightening.
If I weren't afraid, I'd be crazy.
Just because I risked my life once doesn't mean it's easy to do it a second time.
The truth was, I still wanted to place my hopes on other people.
Back in my room, I lay on my bed.
I opened the communication window and lurked as usual.
Then I checked the Nightmare Communication Window too...
“Huh?”
Originally, the Nightmare Communication Window had nothing but the information post I'd written long ago.
It wasn't that we had nothing to say to each other, but no one had ever initiated a conversation.
But there was a conversation in the Nightmare Communication Window.
“What is this?”
The person who claimed to be the second Conqueror was talking to me.
It was somewhat provocative, but I didn't feel particularly offended.
That's because what this person was saying was exactly what I wanted.
Normally, I would have ignored all of this.
But since this person was about to challenge the 2nd Floor, I thought it would be polite to offer a word of encouragement.
I typed a reply.
[Person123: I wish you success.]
Please succeed.
I don't want to challenge the 2nd Floor either.
* * *
The Nightmare Communication Window was originally known as a room of silence.
Even though the number of members had grown from just one to six, no one had conversed yet.
It was natural that people's attention was drawn to the conversation that one day suddenly appeared.
[Jackal: Person123, are you watching?]
[Jackal: I am the second Conqueror. I will challenge the 2nd Floor soon.]
[Jackal: Before that, I wanted to say this to you.]
[Jackal: If I had become a Nightmare Conqueror earlier, I would have achieved the First Clear of the 1st Floor as well.]
[Jackal: I'll prove it soon. I'll be the one to give you information on the 2nd Floor.]
The second Conqueror mentioned the First Conqueror.
And with somewhat provocative content.
People awaited the First Conqueror's reaction.
I wish you success.
But the conversation ended blandly with that.
A Training Facility of the American Climbing Management Agency.
Max, visiting the facility after a long time, exchanged greetings with the administrators and looked around at the numerous structures spread out.
Tall pillars soaring upwards, and uniquely shaped drones floating in mid-air were visible.
It was a facility specially modified from one of the training grounds used for Hard Difficulty 2nd Floor.
There were a man and a woman leaping around in mid-air, using the pillars and drones as footholds.
The administrator spoke to Max, who was watching them.
“Compared to Hard Difficulty, the distance between platforms has been more than doubled, and the platform width has been reduced to less than 50%.”
“I see. Are those drones implementing moving platforms?”
“Yes, we added them recently. Because with Nightmare, you never know what might appear.”
This place was a facility solely for the clearing of Nightmare 2nd Floor.
Max was still doing his best to train 1st Floor Conquerors, and the two who had already passed the 1st Floor were preparing for their next trial here.
A while later, a man descended from the facility, wiping sweat, and approached Max.
“What brings a busy man like you here?”
“How's your condition these days, Jack?”
He was none other than the second Conqueror of Nightmare 1st Floor.
He was a Delta Force legend, and the person Max had expected the most from the beginning.
“Always top-notch. Enough that I wouldn't mind entering the 2nd Floor right now.”
“That's good. But you wrote something in the communication window, didn't you?”
Jack casually tossed aside the towel he used to wipe his sweat.
“Did you come because of that?” “He's someone who's given us a lot of help. Was it really necessary to provoke him?”
Max knew Jack's competitive spirit well.
He was always someone who yearned for the best, and thus he was aiming for the First Clear of the 2nd Floor.
“It wasn't really a provocation. I just said what I wanted to say.”
“That's what we call a provocation, Jack.”
Taylor also approached them.
She was the fifth Conqueror of Nightmare 1st Floor. Max exchanged a brief glance with her.
The ratio of male to female Climbers is overwhelmingly high.
While gender becomes meaningless as one's level rises, the 1st Floor of the Tower is, after all, the realm of ordinary people.
Since it was a floor where those who hadn't yet gained any abilities had to pass solely through their own capabilities, it was natural that differences in innate Physical Ability played a significant role.
That's why Max had never imagined a female Nightmare Conqueror would emerge.
Of course, Taylor was no ordinary person either. She was ex-military and originally an Agent belonging to the CIA SAC.
“He's a Supporter. Not someone to indulge your competitive spirit unnecessarily against.”
Jack retorted to Taylor's words.
“Competitive spirit is precisely the driving force that pushes humans forward. It's a catalyst for overcoming limits. Ah, is that a story you can't relate to?”
“That's irrelevant to the situation. Don't you think your trivial words and actions could strain relations with an important individual?”
Jack chuckled.
“He's not the type to get upset over such trivial things. He wished me success. Didn't you see?”
The First Conqueror of Nightmare, Person123.
Although the number of Nightmare Conquerors has increased, the achievement of being the first is still unparalleled.
That's why Jack wanted to prove that he was superior.
Jack believed that if he had been a First Wave Climber, he too would have cleared Nightmare 1st Floor without any information.
This was a conclusion he reached after experiencing the 1st Floor himself, and he possessed enough skill that it couldn't simply be dismissed as arrogance.
His provocative remarks in the communication window were a light greeting.
Because he wanted to elicit a reaction from someone who had never replied to anything unless it was related to the 1st Floor clear.
Jack was somewhat satisfied that he received a reply instead of being ignored.
Max shook his head and said.
“Anyway, keep your condition good. Approval will come on the date you want. I came to tell you that.”
“Oh? That's good.”
“Are you really sure? Even if you enter a bit more leisurely...”
“My preparations were finished long ago. Ultimately, I'll only know by going in myself.”
Someone had to go in first anyway, but no one particularly wanted Jack to volunteer for it.
The higher-ups' opinion was to wait a bit longer, but Jack's will was firm.
“I will clear the 2nd Floor. I will make this country the Front Runner of Nightmare Difficulty, as I wish.”
Time passed, and it became D-Day.
[Nightmare]
[Personnel: 163,367]
[Floors: 2nd Floor]
[Deadline: 22 days 14 hours 28 minutes 6 seconds]
A Closed-door Session within the Climbing Management Agency Headquarters.
Amidst the gathered people, Jack performed a final body check.
[Difficulty: Nightmare]
[Floor: 2nd Floor]
[Level: 10]
[Willpower: 150]
[Skills: Feather Step (Rare)(+1), Hunting Time (Rare), Skin Hardening (Rare), Charge (Normal+), Leap (Normal)(+1), Repel (Normal), Toughness (Normal)...]
A status window list that didn't seem to belong to someone who had only cleared the 1st Floor.
The situation for the 2nd Floor was different from the 1st Floor.
Climbers who had awakened their status window could receive skill and item support as much as possible, and Jack had virtually received all available investment.
Many Skill Stones and Skill Enhancement Stones, plus an item that increased Willpower by 50. In particular, Feather Step, a Rare Grade Passive Skill that lightened the body, and Leap Skill, which instantly amplified jumping power, were skills that, considering the theme of the 2nd Floor, the National Level had somehow procured.
It was as if the United States had invested all its resources into one of its two Nightmare 1st Floor Conquerors deemed to have higher potential.
It could be said that this was a better choice than dividing resources ambiguously. Now it was time to see the results.
“We wish you good fortune, Sergeant First Class Jack Davis.”
Jack, who received a final salute, returned it and then gazed into midair.
[Would you like to enter the Nightmare Difficulty 2nd Floor?]
Soon, Jack's figure disappeared.
The people remained silent, tense.
About a minute passed.
Taylor, who was checking the communication window, let out a gasp with a pale face.
“Ah...”
Seeing her, Max asked, puzzled.
“Taylor? Are you alright?”
Soon, he too sensed an ominous feeling and checked the communication window.
And likewise, he couldn't help to wear a look of despair.
[Nightmare (5)]
The number of Nightmare personnel had decreased by one.